AOC E2251FWU review

The AOC E2251FWU is different from most monitors since it connects to a computer with a USB cable for both the picture and power. This is useful if you want to add a second or third monitor, but your graphics card has no spare output socket.

Setup was as easy as we had hoped. Plug in the USB cables (with slight caveat on power below) and let Windows do the rest. We were impressed with the quality of the display. It is bright, and the picture is sharp and crisp, but there are no display controls on the monitor.

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Basic controls can be accessed via an icon in the Notification Area. This doesn’t include brightness controls but does include an option for rotating the screen image, even though the screen itself can’t be physically rotated. AOC told us that brightness controls will be part of a future firmware update.

The E2251FWU has a resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels. It displayed high-definition video well, although menus we opened during playback apeared distorted. Fast-paced games are not an option as the monitor struggled to keep up with gameplay, leading to a choppy experience that did not affect another monitor connected to the same computer via DVI.

It is probably not surprising that the monitor is quite power-hungry for a USB device. The USB cable has two plugs so it can draw more power but we frequently ran out of power if anything else was plugged in. There is a port for a 5V power adapter on the back of the monitor, which at about £7 is a worthwhile investment.

The well-priced E2251FWU is surprisingly good and will appeal most to users of laptops and PCs that may have limited options for connecting additional monitors.